Lost Things
by MauMeow1
Summary: After getting into a fight with Abban, Maudie learns a valuable lesson about the lost things in her life. (One-Shot!)


**Author's Note:** Hi, guys! It's been a while since I last wrote a WotB fic. I promise, I'm still going to continue with _Outclanner_ and _Dead Eyes_! I've just been kind of busy lately and this was all I had time to create. I've had some really bad WotB writer's block, so please forgive me if this isn't my best writing.

On a side note, this is my first fic starring some of the series more prominent characters (Lael is pretty darn close to being an OC herself, since she was only in a few _sentences_ of the actual series).

 **Disclaimer: Wolves of the Beyond and all characters/places/previous events mentioned in this work of FanFiction belong to Kathryn Lasky.**

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 **Lost Things:**

 **A _Wolves of the Beyond_ one-shot by MauMeow1**

The moon's soft light reflected off the ever-moving surface of the ocean. The clear night was bathed in a gentle glow. Even the air hung low and contented, pleasantly warm except for the occasional chill of the breeze. Another summer had returned to this wonderful land that was once called the Distant Blue. By now, Faolan's pack had settled nicely into their new life.

A young wolf slipped across the pale sands, her coat still dripping with salty water. Still blinking stinging droplets from her bright green eyes, she settled on a smooth rock to watch the tides. Though one of the youngest wolves, she carried on her mind memories of adventure that could rival even the oldest of wolves from a 'normal' life. Her eyes were worn and regretful, but, unlike those old wolves, she still had a long, eventful life ahead of her. Maudie was never allowed to forget that.

 _You're so selfish! Don't you see how much you have to be grateful for?_ Abban's voice echoed in her head.

Faolan was a good leader, a sure one. He walked with the confidence of a hundred wolves. Everyone knew of his past lives, his gyres, and they all respected and admired him even more for it. Edme also did her share of guiding the pack. If anyone could rival Faolan in bravery, intelligence, and heart, it was her. The two shared what could only be called true, pure love for each other. Everyone was happy for them. When the time came, they would be wonderful parents...

 _Don't you see how good we have it, Maudie?_

Maudie slowly lowered her head. As she rested it on her forepaws, she continued to try and blink the harsh sensation of salt from her eyes. A few tears rolled down her face. It wasn't because of the seawater.

 _You didn't have to see...you didn't have to see your mother break apart and...die inside! You didn't have to see your father doing that to her!_

"You don't understand," Maudie muttered into her paws, echoing the same words she had screamed earlier that day. "Y-you'll never understand, Abban."

She stared up at the stars, searching desperately for some kind of sign. "Where are you, mummy?" she whispered hoarsely. "Where did you go?" She tried to remind herself that she was no longer a pup. She was nearly a grown-up and ready to take on the responsibilities of a full adult. She would have already left her mother had she still been alive.

She wondered what Banja would have done if she'd seen Abban today. Oh, how she would have scolded that wolf! Maudie giggled a little, picturing Abban's expression after facing the wrath of her own mum. She would have put him in his place!

But Maudie would never see that. "She's dead, Maudie," she growled to herself. "Dead, dead, dead!" Her melancholy melted away and was replaced by hot, boiling anger. She stood suddenly, her sharp breaths catching in her breast and sinking into sobs. "There, I said it! My mum is dead! I said it, Edme! I said it, Abban! She's gone! She's gone! She's - "

"Maudie?"

She spun around. For a moment she just stared at him, seething and unfocused. Her hackles bristled and her lips curled with such ferocity that the poor wolf before her stepped back in alarm.

"Oh," she snarled, her voice lowered threateningly. "You."

Abban's whole body slid downwards into a submissive posture. "I'm sorry!" he cried. "For yelling at you. For starting that. I was mad, Maudie. I...I don't know."

"You're _sorry_ ," Maudie said doubtfully. Her mind was still reeling from their earlier fight. She couldn't believe some of the things he'd said and some of the things she'd retorted with. "Yeah, well, I'm sorry, too! I'm sorry that you're a terrible, moldwarp friend!"

"Edme told us to never say that word," Abban mumbled. He didn't dare meet her gaze, but she sensed a little defiance in his voice.

Maudie only turned away from him. "As if Edme even gives a care about me anymore."

"Maudie...Maudie, I didn't mean to say that stuff earlier." Abban started to approach her again. She still refused to look at him, to give him any satisfaction from the fact that she was beginning to weep again. "But I really don't understand why you're getting so worked up about - "

"Don't you see?!" Maudie wailed suddenly. She didn't mean for the words to slip from her mouth; they just kept forcing their way out. "Edme and Faolan were _my_ parents! They were suppose to take care of me...they...they _promised_. Now they're finally getting their own family, and I'm going to lose mine!" She finally met Abban's gaze. He didn't look angry or hateful at all. In fact, he looked just as sad as her. "She was all I had," Maudie said softly. "After...after I lost Banja. Edme was all I had left of a mum."

Abban's jaw dropped in shock. "We're not losing Edme and Faolan! Why in the name of Lupus do you keep saying that?"

"You don't understand," she sniffled. "You still have your mother."

"I never had a father," he reminded her, a hard edge creeping back into his tone. "I know it's not the same, but I never knew what a real family was suppose to be like. Not until my mother left Heep." He said their old enemy's name as if it were the foulest of curses. "And Myrr lost his parents, too. You're not alone, Maudie. We've all lost things."

He sat down beside her, his light yellow fur brushing her deeper golden pelt. Now that she had calmed down a bit, Maudie felt comforted by his presence. He was one of her best friends; she just couldn't stay mad at him for long.

Staring at him in the faint moonlight, she couldn't help but notice how much Abban was starting to look like Heep. It wasn't just his coat color, either. Her memories of Heep were starting to fade, but she still recognized the shape of his muzzle and his prideful gait in Abban. Not his eyes, though. Abban had the same loyal and loving eyes as his mother, Caila. Those same, deep green eyes were studying Maudie with a quiet intensity, trying to read the face of the troubled she-wolf.

"I know we all have our share of losses," Maudie said. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less."

Abban nodded solemnly. Seeming to be at a loss for words, he lowered his head and observed the ocean with distant, pensive eyes.

"Do you miss the sea?" Maudie asked.

It took a moment for him to tear his gaze away and refocus on her. "What do you mean?"

"You know, when we first came here, you stopped speaking in rhyme. It was like you lost the sea."

Abban's tail swished thoughtfully. "I guess I did lose a part of it. I really can't describe what it felt like to be part of it all...then to say good-bye." He sighed. "I don't even remember it that well anymore, but it was a beautiful experience. So, so beautiful and special to me." He paused, a blissful serenity settling on him.

"That's wonderful," Maudie said, "but you won't ever start rhyming again, right?"

Smiling, he jokingly sang:

 _Do you find issue in my verse?_

 _Or suffer from a jealous curse?_

Maudie couldn't help but laugh. It felt good to forget about their argument and return to grinning along with her friend. Abban was indeed an unusual wolf, and of just the sort of peculiarity that Maudie adored.

"In all seriousness," Abban added, "It doesn't matter how much of the sea I've lost. I'll always have that small, special part of it in me."

"And I will always have a part of Banja in me." As this dawned on her, Maudie felt a warm feeling wrap around her heart. "I'll always have that part of my mum." The pain didn't go away, but it no longer gripped her as tight as before. Maudie knew that she would never be truly rid of her grief. _That's okay,_ she told herself. _The sadness means that you loved her._

"Edme will always be your mum, too," Abban reminded her. "Just because she and Faolan will be busy with their pups, doesn't mean she'll stop taking care of you and Myrr."

Maudie sighed softly. "I know."

He scratched at his neck awkwardly. "So, um, you're not mad a me, right? Do you...can you forgive me for what I said earlier. I swear, I didn't mean any - "

"Of course, Abban!" Maudie leaned against him, her mind tired out and her emotions spent. She gave him a friendly nudge with her nose to show that he was forgiven. "I don't need another of my lost things to be our friendship."

A peaceful silence fell upon them. They sat together, listening to the music of Abban's beloved sea.


End file.
